This At a glance summary presents a new ‘systems’ model for case reviews. The model provides a method for getting to the bottom of professional practice and exploring why actions or decisions that later turned out to be mistaken, or to have led to an unwanted outcome, seemed to those involved, to be the sensible thing to do at the time.

The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) worked in collaboration with the London Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) to pilot the SCIE Learning Together model for case reviews in seven London Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs). This report presents on some of the interim findings from the (LSCBs) participating in the pilots of the SCIE Learning Together model. It draws primarily on verbal feedback provided by Lead Reviewers over the course of the training, and includes direct quotations. Issues discussed include the engagement of staff and implementation issues. The report aims to share with non-participating LSCBs the experience of taking part in the pilot.

SCIE has led in the development of a new 'systems approach' for conducting case reviews of multi-agency safeguarding and child protection work. This video looks at the first pilots of the SCIE model which were completed in the North West of England in September 2010.

This guide summarises SCIE Report 19: Learning together to safeguard children: developing a multi-agency systems approach for case reviews. In it the key concepts of the model are explained before the process of putting them into practice is described